Pricey vs cheap simple mobile phones

There’s a sizeable £165 price difference between the cheapest and priciest mobile phones on test.

The Virgin VM595 (left) is £165 cheaper than the Doro Liberto 825 (right)

The Virgin VM595 will make a small £10 dent in your wallet. As you’d expect for this price, it’s pretty basic. While you’d mainly use it just for calls and texts, it also has a 0.3Mp rear camera and 2G internet capability – but both are far from cutting edge.

The Doro Liberto 825, on the other hand, costs £175. This is a simplified 4G smartphone with an 8Mp rear camera and 2Mp front-facing camera, which could suit you if you’re looking for a smartphone experience without too much complexity. Plus it has a few accessibility features, such as hearing-aid compatibility and an SOS button.

What makes a Best Buy simple mobile phone?

All simple phones go through exactly the same tests, regardless of their claims or features. And as we don’t take price into account, you can trust our scores and reviews to truly separate the wheat from the chaff.

Best Buy mobile phones are a pleasure to use, not a nightmare

Our lab experts assess each phone for how easy it is to set up, make calls, send texts, and use on a day-to-day basis. Our ease-of-use rating makes up 55% of the total test score – so simple phones have to be straightforward to use to earn our Best Buy recommendation.

We also measure battery life, on both continuous call time and standby, and test whether your phone conversations will sound clear or garbled whether you’re in a quiet room or a busy environment.